Pennsylvania Boy, 10, Kills Woman, 90

A Pennsylvania boy, 10, is reported to have allegedly killed a 90-year-old woman. The boy is being held by police after being accused as an adult for the woman’s murder. She had been reportedly pinned on her bed with a cane held to her throat and beaten to death while she was at her caretaker’s house. A bail hearing for the alleged murderer is reportedly set for Wednesday.

The child’s grandfather was supposedly victim Helen Novak’s caretaker, and the event happened on Oct. 11 at his home, state court papers. The boy, who is not being named because he is a minor, told investigators that he held Novak down on the bed with a walking stick and proceeded to punch her several times after she shouted at him, according to court documents. He then reportedly added that he killed her.

A Pennsylvania state trooper questioned Kurilla, saying, “Were you trying to kill her?” The boy told the police officer that he was not trying to kill her, but that he only wanted to hurt the woman, stated the criminal grievance. An autopsy performed on the woman discovered blunt force trauma on the woman’s neck, which led to the finding of homicide.

The 10-year-old, who lives in the Damascus Township of Pennsylvania, was taken into custody Monday after his mother took him to the Pennsylvania State Police headquarters. The boy was indicted as an adult due to the fact that homicide is omitted from the felonies that juveniles are allowed to be charged with under the juvenile laws of Pennsylvania, explained District Attorney Janine Edwards. The child was also charged with aggravated assault.

The mother of the boy explained to state troopers that he had suffered mental problems in his past. His mental state might be taken into consideration if he later appeals to the court to relocate his case from the adult court to the juvenile court, stated the district attorney’s office.

The boy’s lawyer, Bernard Brown, declared that he would attempt to have him released to his father’s care after the bail hearing. The attorney explained that he would also request a competency hearing in the case, stating that evidence which had been collected by prosecutors suggests the child might have mental health concerns. Brown explained that such issues may show that his client is not capable to stand trial, and also might help his case to transfer the boy’s charges to juvenile court.

Brown noted that the boy’s family is in emotional turmoil because their young son has been taken away from them and placed in a correctional facility with an adult charge over his head. The boy will have a bail hearing in the middle of this week. Until then, he is being held at the present time at the Wayne County Correctional Facility. He has his first court appearance on Oct. 22, where he will face a judge in the matter of the alleged killing of 90-year-old Novak.